Epiphany in the Peaks

 Well, WHAT an awesome day!!

I have often thought about getting a classic car, a 60s sports car of some sort ideally. But I know very little about them, nor do I know anyone with one. So when I saw an ad for a day driving 4 60s sports car in the Peak District, well, it's like they heard me.

I booked this a few months ago; a half day (although it was about 6 hours) where you drive 4 different cars; a Morgan, MGA, MGB and a Frogeye Sprite.

The run is set in Buxton, so I went up on the Friday evening and stayed in a beautiful old hotel, 5 minutes walk from where the hire started:

The drive up was fairly dull motorway and the day of the event started very grey and ominously damp, although not actually raining. I was up early and had an enjoyable coffee and cake for breakfast:

While I was waiting for the organiser to appear, a bunch of great cars also turned up, off on a run of their own:

Eventually, our guy arrived along with 3 other couples and we got going. The format was a 5 car convoy, with the 4 classics in increasing modernity/power trailing behind the guys Jag. My first drive was a 2010 Morgan, with a 1.6L Zetec engine, similar to my kit car:

A great looking thing, the easiest of the lot to drive and surprisingly comfortable.

Next up was the '66 (or about there) MGB - this had a 2L version of the engine and a 5-speed box. After the Morgan, it was the most modern feeling, although the clutch bite point was stupidly high and it did feel very floaty:

My favourite was the MGA:

The steering wheel was too close to my chest but it was the most secure feeling car and it's engine sounded beautiful; a lovely grumble from Weber carbs, although the guy had fitted an MGB engine, so I'm not sure what they normally sound like.

Last and least was the Frogeye Sprite:

 Surprisingly, it wasn't it's tiny size that was the problem; it just felt very rattly and like the body wanted to go in a different direction to the chassis. Worst of all, the top of the windscreen was right in my eye line, so I either had to bend down a little or strain up to see ahead - not very comfortable. 

We had a beautiful amble around the area and managed to avoid any rain, with the sun making an appearance at the end:

It was a great day - all the cars were surprisingly comfortable and driveable, sounded great and everyone stared and smiled at us. 

However, we only got to a maximum speed of about 50 mph and all the cars felt a little sketchy at that speed. What today proved is that you don't need speed to have fun (I couldn't stop smiling all day) but I think being limited to less than 70 ALL the time would get wearing when you did need to cover some distance. Motorways would be scary as hell...

And then I drove back and the best part of a great day happened....after driving these 4 classics, what it did show is how ABSOLUTELY FECKING AWESOME Barry is. The reassuring clunk of the door closing, the beautifully smooth engine note and ride - within 5 feet of setting off, I felt like I had moved forward 50 years (which I had, obvs).

I drove back through a bit of the Peaks, taking it easy, revelling in the creaminess of a Porsche flat 6 and occasionally feeling it's power when a clear bit of road opened up. I took the motorway for a while until south of Brum and then peeled off into the Cotswolds. I stopped every now and then to change the satnav route to avoid just going straight back to the motorway and the weather obliged, with blue skies and sun. The Cotswolds are SO amazing and it seemed like everyone stayed at home to keep the roads clear for me; I basically just followed the compass on the sat nav and headed south, turning off main A roads regularly onto smaller lanes - it was fan-bloody-tastic!!

And I had an epiphany - classic cars are great BUT you can also drive slow in a more modern car and get the same enjoyment. And when it's time to put the hammer down, just for fun, or to get home, you've got heated seats, a stereo, 280bhp of loveliness and it is less likely to break down.

AND, in 20 years time, Barry will be the age now that these cars were today, so if I keep him, I'll have a classic car and people will smile from their 300mph autopiloted rooms on wheels and reminisce about their youth when they see me.

A truly special day...